CAMPAIGNERS against the planned waste incinerating facility at Killoch have urged people to share their views on the issue before a key deadline later this month.

The Ayrshire Against Incinerators group (AAI) says it’s currently playing a waiting game while East Ayrshire Council (EAC) considers Barr’s application for planning permission for the site.

The Scottish Government wants to hear evidence on the role that incineration should – or shouldn’t – play in meeting international requirements on dealing with non-recyclable waste which, in a few years’ time, councils will no longer be able to send to landfill.

Cumnock Chronicle: Ayrshire Against Incinerators

But the deadline for comments is February 21.

Barr’s application for the incinerator is still being processed by the council. If approved, it would move on for Scottish Government approval.

It’s believed that the council is seeking further information on the environmental impact of the company’s plans, and on a review of the area’s capacity for waste incineration, before scheduling a meeting for councillors to decide on the proposals.

READ MORE: Young climate protestor makes anti-incinerator campaign visible at mass march

So far, 1,174 objections to Barr’s plans have been published on EAC’s website – while more than 500 signed individual objections were hand-delivered to the council’s HQ last summer by the Say No to Waste Incinerator at Killoch group.

Margaret Donald from the group says she is proud of the campaign so far.

She said: “We’ve done a lot of good work and I really hope it counts for something.

“We’re at a bit of a standstill at the minute until more information comes out, so it’s hard to make a judgement on whether or not we think these plans will go ahead.

“We’ve emailed Barr as a group to ask what is happening.

“The longer it goes on, it means that If the review comes back and says they need extra capacity for incinerators in Ayrshire the council can go ahead and pass it.

“But also the longer it goes on, it allows people to still have a say on the plans, by getting involved in the Incinerator Call for Evidence on the Scottish Government website.

“The deadline for that is February 21.”

READ MORE: Anti incinerator group enter into ‘new phase’ of protest ahead of COP26

The group’s main concerns are the pollution the site would emit and the traffic it would bring to the area.

Margaret obtained figures from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) on how much waste had been generated by homes and businesses in Ayrshire.

She added: “Figures from SEPA show there was 61,727 tonnes of residential waste from Ayrshire going to landfill in 2019.

“We’re thinking about the fact there will be two incinerators just in Ayrshire, which would take 346,000 tonnes of waste. If we’re only producing 61,000 tonnes, where is the rest of the waste going to come from?

“I hope a decision gets made soon, and in our favour.”

READ MORE: Incinerator plan gets over 500 objections

Barr says its facility would have a 75-metre flue stack, would process 166,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste a year, and would save 69,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The proposals also include a visitor centre.

A design statement submitted by Barr to EAC says the plant will “manage non-hazardous and non-recyclable residual waste”.

Cumnock Chronicle: Campaigners Campaigners

It added: “The proposed (energy recovery plant) ERP has been designed to be an exemplar waste management facility in the context of the existing site use and the area’s industrial heritage.

“The design of the scheme aims to create an efficient, safe and aesthetically suitable solution for the recovery of waste at Killoch.”

Submissions can be made to the Scottish Government’s call for evidence on waste incineration at bit.ly/scotgovwasteincinerators.